A 3‐year prospective study of the epidemiology of acute respiratory viral infections in hospitalized children in Shenzhen, China

Abstract

BackgroundThe epidemiology of local viral etiologies is essential for the management of viral respiratory tract infections. Limited data are available in China to describe the epidemiology of viral respiratory infections, especially in small–medium cities and rural areas.ObjectivesTo determine the viral etiology and seasonality of acute respiratory infections in hospitalized children, a 3-year study was conducted in Shenzhen, China.MethodsNasopharyngeal aspirates from eligible children were collected. Influenza and other respiratory viruses were tested by molecular assays simultaneously. Data were analyzed to describe the frequency and seasonality.ResultsOf the 2025 children enrolled in the study, 971 (48·0%) were positive for at least one viral pathogen, in which 890 (91·7%) were <4 years of age. The three most prevalent viruses were influenza A (IAV; 35·8%), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV; 30·5%) and human rhinovirus (HRV; 21·5%). Co-infections were found in 302 cases (31·1%), and dual viral infection was dominant. RSV, HRV and IAV were the most frequent viral agents involved in co-infection. On the whole, the obvious seasonal peaks mainly from March to May were observed with peak strength varying from 1 year to another.ConclusionsThis study provides a basic profile of the epidemiology of acute respiratory viral infection in hospitalized children in Shenzhen. The spectrum of viruses in the study site is similar to that in other places, but the seasonality is closely related to geographic position, different from that in big cities in northern China and neighboring Hong Kong.

Estimation of influenza and severe acute respiratory illness incidence (burden) in three provinces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2012 and 2013

“…The first peak, the main wave, occurs around December to January, while the second occurs around March. Multiple waves in each influenza season have been reported by other researchers (11,12). There is a difference between F-SARI and SARI: between June and late October influenza virus activity approaches zero, while SARI has a minimum level of occurrence, even during the warm season.…”

Alternate circulation and genetic variation of human respiratory syncytial virus genotypes in Chengdu, West China, 2009‐2014

“…Usually, the HRSV positive rate is higher in the hospitalized cases than in the outpatients. Consistently, the hospitalized children from Chongqing (32.7%) [Ren et al, ], Chengdu (23.7%), Beijing (15.8%) [Cui et al, ], and Shenzhen (14.6%) [He et al, ] had the higher HRSV positive rates than the outpatients from Shanghai (7.6%) [Liu et al, ]. Of all the possible reasons for the higher HRSV positive rates in Western China (Chongqing and Chengdu), one might be the local high humidity which can help to protect virus from desiccation, ultraviolet and loss of infectivity [Welliver, ].…”

Impact and seasonality of human rhinovirus infection in hospitalized patients for two consecutive years

“…A alta frequência do RVH encontrada em amostras clínicas de pacientes com SARI foi semelhante à relatada por Kim et al 7 em um hospital terciário na Coreia do Sul. Kim et al 8 analisaram uma população pediátrica internada e encontraram uma prevalência de 48%, ao passo que Walker & Ison 9 encontraram uma prevalência de 14% em uma população adulta internada. Essa diferença entre as faixas etárias foi observada neste estudo, enfatiza a maior vulnerabilidade das crianças a essa infecção, provavelmente como consequência de um processo inflamatório mais intenso motivado pela infecção primária ou por condições anatômicas favoráveis do trato respiratório em crianças mais novas.…”